Limitless Seas 3, Chapter 2.

Chapter 2.

As Larson stepped through the portal, the cool, dark, and damp underground temple was instantly replaced by a steaming jungle nestled inside the cone of a dormant volcano. The sun nearly blinded Larson until his eyes had a chance to adjust, leaving him blinking and vulnerable. Thankfully, there weren’t any foes waiting just inside the portal exit to attack him immediately and Larson was able to gather his bearings.

A narrow trail wound down the interior of the volcano, the path was wide enough for two to walk side by side, but the vines and plants clinging to the path made Larson keep well away from the edge, one slip and it would be a quick end to this adventure. At the bottom of the volcano another temple stood, a twin to the one outside the portal. The stonework of the temple was covered in vegetation, but the parts that were exposed looked much newer than the old and worn temple that Larson had just been inside.

Remembering his previous adventures here, Larson knew that he could be ambushed by lizardfolk and their oversized pets at any time. His brace of pistols was loaded and ready to fire, held tightly in his lower hands. His rapier was in another hand, and without any of his crew able to support Larson on his mission, he opted to place his old round bronze shield in his final hand instead of a second rapier. Having four arms was definitely an advantage when it came to combat, and it was odd that they all felt so natural now to Larson. He started to move along the trail, but vegetation had grown over everything, and attackers could be hidden inside it, waiting just out of sight for him to approach. Larson kept his eyes moving, never becoming complacent as he descended.

Shrieking to try and intimidate Larson, four small lizardfolk emerged from the foilage further up the path. They would have had a better chance if they had waited for him to approach and tried to ambush him, but these didn’t seem to be the smartest lizards in the tribe. With a boom and slight recoil, both of Larson’s pistols discharged. The rounds were on target and hit the chests of the lead pair. His weapons fired a heavy lead ball that was an inch in diameter, and when they hit the unarmored lizardfolk, they blasted a hole clean through.

Seemingly unconcerned over the fate of their comrades, the other pair of lizardfolk leaped over the bodies and continued their charge. Larson’s lower arms began the task of reloading his pistols. One of the guns was placed in his void storage while the hands worked to reload the remaining pistol. Once the pistol was loaded, he could keep firing and reloading it, or wait and reload both before engaging. Larson opted to reload both, he didn’t think this other pair of lizardfolk would be any more challenging than the first ones, and he was itching to test himself in melee. The loaded pistol went into void storage and his hands began the reloading process on the second one. It was all done by touch and muscle memory. Larson’s coordination was good enough that the reloading process didn’t even distract him from the coming fight.

Unarmed, and clothed in rags, the lizardfolk brandished their dirty claws and hissed through sharp teeth as they closed in. Just before they reached him, Larson counter-charged, his oversized shield leading the way. He resisted the urge to activate Shield Bash, since he could only use it three times each day and there were surely more dangerous foes waiting further in the dungeon. It turned out he didn’t need the ability, and when Larson collided with his attackers, he easily drove one over the cliff with his shield while stabbing at the other with his rapier. Larson’s weapon slid through his target with no effort, the strike hitting the lizardfolk's heart and dropping him with one blow.

Reloading finished, Larson waited for further attacks, but the jungle was silent. His rapier was named the Clean Kill and its enchantments prevented any blood from clinging to it and even directed any gore away from Larson’s clothing. A quick search of the bodies confirmed there was nothing worth taking on the dead lizardfolk. The dungeon was weak, and its rewards would reflect that. When he defeated Tamkul’pa, there might be something worthwhile, other than the reward promised by the orb, but Larson knew it wouldn’t be anything too exciting.

Following the path down toward the temple, Larson was attacked twice more. The first attack was by a lizard, about the size of a large dog. A blast from his pistols finished it easy enough, but it did manage to latch itself onto his tail before it died, injecting venom into Larson’s body. The venom burned for only a few moments before his natural immunity kicked. He might look a lot stranger than the human he once was, but his new body had several advantages that Larson wouldn’t give up even if the system offered to switch him back to a human.

Another group of weak lizardfolk attacked when Larson reached the bottom of the dormant volcano and approached the temple. The trio of attackers fared no better than the first group and after a pair of shots and a quick thrust of his rapier, the fight was over. The doors to the temple were closed this time. On his last trip here, the pirates had already forced their way inside, but this time, it would be up to Larson to figure out a way to open the temple. Intricately carved stone doors barred his path, and there was no visible mechanism to operate them.

The images carved into the doors appeared to move as Larson pounded on them, the movement startling him and forcing him to slither back, fearing a trap of some kind. As soon as he was a few feet away, the carved images instantly reverted to their previous position. Coming closer, Larson reached out and cautiously touched the door, the action causing the images to move once more. A system prompt appeared, startling Larson and forcing him back yet again.

You are of the folk, and thus are capable of understanding our past. Others must sacrifice to enter, but you will know the true way.

Following the clue, Larson reached out for the door once more. This time, as the images moved, a small plaque was revealed. It was written in the common language of this land, but as Larson read it, he somehow knew it wasn’t meant for him. The sign was placed for others, without the blood of the reptile running through their veins. It required from them much more than it would require from Larson.

For the unworthy to pass, a sacrifice must be made. Place your hand on the fangs and accept the venom of your betters. If you seek to violate this place, you will only do so with great sacrifice.

A stone lizard head appeared over the sign, its mouth open, waiting for the hand of the unworthy. Venom dripped from the stone fangs and from its scent, Larson was able to understand a bit about its purpose. The venom wouldn’t kill whoever was injected with it, but it would harm them, shriveling muscles and hampering the thoughts of mages for a short time. It was the perfect way to weaken those that would seek to defeat the ruler of the dungeon. Larson figured that during his previous visit, the pirates had already triggered the venomous bite of the door and it hadn’t reset itself before his party had entered. Ignoring the lizard mouth and the plaque, Larson watched the shifting figures on the door, they told him of a different way to gain entry.

For the folk, the blood of our prey is sufficient to gain passage.

Grabbing the body of one of the lizardfolk that he had just killed, Larson smeared some of the gore across the door. As soon as he did so, the plaque and lizard face retracted into the door and he could hear and feel the mechanism that controlled the doors begin to work. With the sound of stone grinding on stone, the doors opened, revealing another dark passageway leading into the depths of the temple.

From what he remembered, Larson knew the passageway was laid out the same as in the temple outside the dungeon. The only difference was that instead of ending in a small room that contained a portal, this one opened up into the large chamber where Tamkul’pa waited. There weren’t any other defenders blocking his way and Larson made the journey quickly, his weapons at the ready, and his eyes having little trouble functioning in the dark passage where only the occasional torch gave off a scant glow.

Pausing at the end of the passage, Larson listened for any clues about what he was about to face in the final chamber. Tamkul’pa would surely be there, but how many additional defenders would be attending to their leader? An occasional whispered hiss from the lizardfolk language was heard, and Larson could make out the sound of claws clicking on the floor as Tamkul’pa’s servants went about their business. Slithering into the room, Larson almost didn’t recognize his target.

Tamkul’pa had been an immense creature the first time Larson had fought him, big enough to snatch him up with his long tongue and swallow Larson whole. This time, he faced a weaker version that while huge, about the size of Bug Bartholomew, the frog-like leader of the dungeon appeared much less formidable. Tamkul’pa sat upon an oversized stone throne, one that his bulk would eventually fill as he grew in power once more. Around a sacrificial table near the throne were a half dozen of the scrawny lizardfolk that Larson had already fought outside. They had butchered one of their own upon the table and were offering up the choice bits to their leader, who greedily sucked down each morsel they gave him.

“Sorry to interrupt your meal, but it’s time for a change of ownership to this place,” Larson said as he moved into view. Pulling from his mana, Lason imbued each of his pistols with water magic, choosing slashing damage for one and piercing for the other. As the fired, he also activated Rapid Fire and each pistol bucked twice in his grip, the four imbued shots slammed home into the body of Tamkul’pa.

“I shall feast upon your…” Tamkul’pa started to shout, his words transformed into a shriek of pain as Larson’s shots hit. The piercing shots disappeared under the blubbery hide of the monster, and the slashing rounds opened up huge wounds on the chest of the frog-like dungeon ruler. Cowering around the table, the lizardfolk, seeing that Larson was alone, worked up the courage to attack.

Not wanting to fight a slew of the weaker lizardfolk while also dealing with Tamkul’pa, Larson used his racial ability Venomous Bite. Fangs that normally laid flat inside Larson’s mouth shot forward, unleashing a stream of venom onto the attackers. Now able to control the shape of his venomous attack, Larson opted for a spray, trying to get some damage onto each of the attackers. The lizardfolk charged into the cloud of venom and immediately began screaming as the powerful cytotoxin began to rot the scales and flesh from their body.

All six of the lizardfolk collapsed to the floor and began to try and scrape the venom off their bodies, their actions only serving to spread the damage to their hands. Even though they were weak opponents, Larson’s venom wouldn’t be enough to kill them, but for a while, they would be out of the fight, and he could concentrate on the true target, Tamkul’pa. Moving must have been agony for the ruler of the dungeon, as the wounds from Larson’s pistols bled profusely.

I do not fight alone, my servants are with me,” Tamkul’pa managed to croak out. Despite the damage that Larson had inflicted on him, Tamkul’pa showed why he was the ruler of this place, ignoring the pain as he started to cast a spell.

Remembering that the monster had not only shot out his tongue to devour his prey whole, but Tamkul’pa also summoned creatures to bolster his defenses. Not wanting to become mired in a swarm of summoned monsters, Larson needed to end this fight quickly. There weren’t any other immediate threats on the horizon, so he felt confident that he could pull out all the stops for this fight, trusting that his abilities would refresh themselves before he was called into combat again.

“You’re not the only one with allies. My ship, Cassia, will defend me even in this foul place,” Larson shouted as he summoned the ability his ship had granted him, Serpent’s Strike. The ghostly image of the front of his ship appeared before Tamkul’pa, the serpent’s head striking into the face of Larson’s foe. The sound of something cracking inside the corpulent monster’s face was heard and Tamkul’pa’s shrieks increased in pitch as the ghostly head pumped venom into the wounds it had created.

As quickly as it had appeared, the Serpent’s Strike was over. Tamkul’pa looked like he was on his last legs, but he wasn’t completely out of options yet. To make matters worse, some of the wounded lizardfolk looked like they were trying to rejoin the fight. Forcing open his partially crushed jaw, Tamkul’pa fired out the tongue that had snared Larson in the previous fight. The monster was too small to consume him whole as it had done before, but Larson was sure that whatever this weaker version of the tongue attack did, it wouldn’t be something he wanted to experience.

Figuring something like this was coming, Larson had already imbued his rapier with slashing damage, and as the tongue closed in, he used his Pincushion ability. The rapier thrust forward on its own five times, each stab landing without error on the rapidly approaching tongue. As the blows hit, they pierced through the monstrous appendage, which was as thick around as Larson’s wrists. Unleashing its slashing damage, each hit chopped off a section of the tongue.

With his ability to cast spells hampered by the powerful venom burning into its head, and with its tongue weapon chopped to pieces on the floor, Tamkul’pa sat pathetically on his throne, terror filling his eyes as Larson slithered closer. Two of the wounded lizardfolk tried to stop him, but Larson’s rapier and shield took them permanently out of the fight. By the time he reached the whimpering dungeon boss, his pistols had been reloaded. Imbuing each with bludgeoning damage, Larson aimed them at Tamkul’pa’s head.

“Consider this your eviction notice. This dungeon is mine and I have a new tenant that’s moving in,” Larson said as he pulled the triggers. The pair of shots finished off the monster, and Tamkul’pa’s body slid off the slime and gore covered throne. Pulling the orb of Paktul from his inventory, Larson held it over the throne. He could feel the presence inside come to life, demanding that he place the orb on the throne.

“Not so fast, Paktul, before I give you another chance to rule down here, I want to know what you’re offering. If your offer’s not good enough, I can just wait for Tamkul’pa to return and see if he’s more amenable to negotiation this time,” Larson said. He held all the cards in this negotiation, and he wanted to get all he could for his people. It was a well-known negotiation tactic that the first one to speak loses, so he shut up and waited for Paktul to respond.